Government launches consultation on controversial digital ID proposals

Alongside the consultation, the Government intends to reveal images and videos of a working prototype of the system showing how people could log on to a single app and prove who they are, ending a reliance on multiple logins and paper documents to access the support they need, in turn saving time and effort.

Government by app “will be as easy and secure as online banking” and available to those who want it. It will remove the frustration of endless telephone calls, complicated printed forms and people having no idea of how long it will take them to access the support they need. That said, the Government has stated that existing routes to accessing public services will continue to be available for those who prefer them.

The system is part of wider Government plans to reform public services, modernise public sector technology and replace legacy systems in order to make services work better for people across the country. It’s expected to save money in the long run by replacing the expensive legacy paper-based systems currently in place. The numbers across Government are huge: the DVLA currently processes 45,000 letters per day, Defra uses 500 different paper forms and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs handles 100,000 phone calls each day.

Better customer experience

Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, said: “People too often dread their interactions with public services. Endless telephone calls, complicated printed forms and having to tell their story multiple times to different parts of Government. I want to change that and make public services work for them. The new digital ID will make that possible, allowing individuals to log on and prove who they are in order to access public services more quickly, easily and securely.”

Jones continued: “Supermarkets, banks and shops have all chosen to move their services online as it delivers a better customer experience and value for money, while other countries like Estonia fully digitised public services years ago. We need to catch up. We want to build a system that works for everyone.”

Anyone starting a new job will be able to use the new digital proof of identity for digital right to work checks, which will be required by the end of this Parliament, or they will be able to complete a digital check of other documents such as passports or eVisas if they prefer.

The consultation will find out how digital ID can best work for people across the country and use their feedback to build a system that can help them access services and offer the best possible benefits. Questions include:

*At what age you should be able to obtain a digital ID?

*What information would be useful to include – such as proof of address as well as identity – to end the scramble for a utility bill or bank statement?

‘People’s Panel on Digital ID’

In order to ensure the Government hears views from people from all walks of life, an in-depth process going beyond typical Government consultations will be launched. Alongside the eight-week online consultation, the Government will establish a ‘People’s Panel on Digital ID’, bringing together individuals across the country from different backgrounds. There will be in-depth discussions, a sharing of different views on the proposals and agreement on the best ways in which to move forward.

While the prototype unveiled affords the public insight into what the digital ID might look like and the type of services it might cover, the final design of the scheme will be subject to the outcome of the consultation and the views shared.

This announcement follows the ‘Roadmap for Modern Digital Government’, which sets out how technology will transform services right across the state: from digitising planning to making it easier for people to manage their benefits and tax. The Government is “making it easier” for organisations to move away from outdated technology, overhauling funding so that old systems can be replaced faster and doubling the number of tech experts across Whitehall.

Big Brother Watch and Liberty respond

Civil liberties campaigners Big Brother Watch and Liberty have issued detailed responses to the Government’s launch of the consultation.

Jasleen Chaggar, senior legal and policy officer at Big Brother Watch, said: “A national digital ID is a multi-billion pound scheme that no-one voted for and that it’s quite possible no-one will use. The Government could make accessing services easier without building an app that creates a comprehensive logbook of our lives.”

Chagger continued: “Almost three million people have already made it clear that they don’t want a digital ID in one of the biggest petitions in British history and politicians across all parties opposed the mandatory scheme. A citizen’s assembly should not be used to manufacture legitimacy for the Government’s highly unpopular and pre-ordained agenda.”

Further, Chaggar noted: “Even the Cabinet is split on digital ID, with ministers reportedly refusing to hand over our National Health Service records and our children’s education files for the digital ID scheme. What confidence can the public have to hand over their private information when the risks to their privacy and security are so high? Given the public backlash, high costs, serious data risks and likelihood that this could become a mandatory scheme in practice, the Government should drop this digital ID disaster altogether.”

In addition, Chaggar commented: “Snuck into the consultation is an admission that the police would be allowed to repurpose our digital ID photos as mugshots to create a population-wide facial recognition database. It’s for precisely this reason that the public is rightly sceptical of a sprawling ID system that has been sold to us under various guises – whether to ‘stop the boats’ or improve public services – but which invariably hands more power and more of our personal information to the state at our expense.”

Voluntary and inclusive

Akiko Hart, director of Liberty, explained: “The public is finally being given a chance to have its say on digital ID after months of the Government repeatedly flip-flopping on its approach. If the Government is serious about introducing digital ID, it must be voluntary and inclusive from the start. Any system must be built in a genuinely rights-respecting way, with clear safeguards as to how people’s data is collected, stored and shared.”

Hart concluded: “This scheme forms part of a broader pattern that risks weakening people’s protections online. We’ve seen the rolling out of facial recognition while consulting on its regulation, erosion of data rights and an attack on end-to-end encryption. The Government should take this opportunity to prioritise its commitment to protecting people’s privacy, online safety and fundamental rights.”